In The Mirror

They finished and she said, "Do you need help carrying anything?"

"Nope, I can handle it. I'll be right back."

He brought up the supplies and she saw that he had paint with him.

"You brought the paint?"

"Oh, um yeah. It'll save you a few bucks by supplying the paint."

"Okay. I moved the smaller stuff into the spare bedroom. I also emptied the drawers so the dressers shouldn't be too bad."

He smiled his mega-watt, panty wetting smile and said, "Perfect, let's get started."

They finished moving and taping and she said, "Its 8:30. Your man is late."

"Yeah, he told me he'd be here at 9 to give us more time to prep the rooms."

"Okay. Then I'll take a quick shower and get out of here."

"Sounds good."

**********

She came out of the bathroom ready to go and she said, "Oh, I thought you would've gone."

"No, I'll wait for him so I can let him in and see if he has any questions about what we need done."

She warily said, "Okay. I'll take off then. What time should I be back?"

"Well, I think he could be done by 7 if it's only 2 coats in each room."

"Okay. Thanks again."

After she left, Ryan went back to his car to get his work clothes, rollers, and brushes. He started painting the bedroom and figured he would do the kitchen while the bedroom's first coat dried. Then he'd have some lunch and apply the second coats.

********

As he was cleaning up, Hannah walked in the door. She saw him cleaning the brushes in her bathtub and startled him.

"Hey!"

He jumped up and said, "Hey, Hannah. He's all done, check it out. Looks pretty good I think."

"Where is he, Ryan?" She saw that he had paint on his cheek and some on his shirt.

"Oh, um he left. I'm saving you some bucks by doing his clean up."

"You're lying. You did the painting didn't you?" She was getting upset at his deception.

"Look, he would've cost at least double what you could afford. I figured I'd just take care of it and give you the receipt for the paint. You're saving a ton of money."

"Ryan, I hate that you lied to me. If this was your plan all along I could've helped you."

"Don't worry about it. I had the time and I paint a lot. It's really no big deal."

"Don't realtors work Saturdays? How much money did you lose by doing this?"

"It's not a big deal, really. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I was just trying to help you out."

"Fine, but don't lie to me again. I have to go. I just came to get a change of clothes, we're going to dinner and my sister is waiting downstairs."

"Okay, I'm just about done. I'll be out of here in 15 minutes. I even moved your furniture back. I left the drawers out though. I didn't know what order you had them."

"Jesus. That's heavy stuff."

"Nah, I was able to pull and drag the dresser and headboard. That's the heavy stuff."

She looked him over and felt that he meant well. She also thought he looked really good with his short hair messed up. She shook that off quickly and said, "Will you let me buy you dinner tonight for doing it? You saved me a bunch of money. It's the least I can do."

"No, I don't want to interrupt your time with your sister. Maybe another time."

"It's no problem. Finish up and meet us at Morretti's."

"Okay then. I'll see you in a bit."

Ryan finished up and took a quick shower to freshen up. He was mad at himself that he lost track of time and she caught him, but at least she wasn't too mad at him. He also hoped she didn't realize that he used her shower.

********

Ryan walked into the restaurant and saw Hannah waiving to him. He walked over and saw that her sister wasn't there.

"Hi! Where's your sister?"

"Bathroom. Sit down, we waited for you to order."

"Okay, thanks."

The waitress came over and Hannah ordered Chicken Parmesan for herself and her sister, while Ryan took a quick look at the menu.

"I'll have the Rosemary and Lemon Chicken. Um, and unsweetened iced tea."

"I see you really do eat healthily," Hannah said.

"Told ya. My one vice is beer, but I pretty much stick with Miller Lite."

Hannah's sister came up from behind Ryan and sat to his left. "Hey Carrie, this is Ryan, my Realtor."

Ryan looked up and Carrie shouted, "Holy shit!"

Ryan stood up and she grabbed him in a hug. "Oh my God, I tried so hard to find you that night. You took off without letting me thank you."

Hannah looked at the scene confused.

"I looked for you too. I talked to the cops and then I looked for you, but I couldn't find you. I thought you'd left."

"Carrie?" Hannah asked.

"This is him. This is the guy that I told you about. He saved me from that scumbag, Rick."

"That was you?" Hannah asked in genuine shock. "Wow, I would've thought you would help him before you'd help her."

Ryan looked at her first with shock, then it turned to disgust. "I can't believe you'd say something like that. I'll admit that I was an asshole, but I'd never rape someone. Jesus."

"Hannah, what the fuck?" Carrie said as Ryan threw a $100 bill on the table.

"I'm gonna go. I'm sorry I ruined your evening. Goodnight." Ryan said and rushed off towards the door.

Hannah looked at him in shock and Carrie tried to stop him. "Ryan wait!"

He kept walking and she followed him, after telling Hannah to wait there. Ryan, she was kidding, don't be mad."

He turned and saw Hannah standing at the table. "No, she said that dead serious. We have a history and I thought we were getting better, but I was wrong. I'm happy to see you again and I'm truly glad that you're okay. Goodnight."

Ryan made it out the door before Hannah got to them. Carrie said, "What the hell is the matter with you. That guy saved me from being drugged and raped. I don't care what your history is, he didn't deserve that."

"I know. I can't believe it came out of my mouth. I'm really sorry. I'll call him later and apologize. I feel like shit."

"You should."

Ryan drove away chiding himself. "Why did I overreact like that?" He thought. "Even if she weren't kidding, I didn't have to ruin their dinner. Damn, I messed that up"

He decided to drive to her condo and wait for her so he could apologize in person.

As he pulled into her parking lot and parked in the visitor spot, he wondered about what she said.

Was he that bad, that she would have that bad an impression of him? He knew that he was a cad and treated people poorly, but he was trying to change.

Later that night, Hannah's sister dropped her off at her condo. She opened the main door and saw Ryan sitting and leaning against her unit's door.

"Ryan?"

"Hi, Hannah." He stood and walked towards her.

"Hannah, I'm sorry that I overreacted at the restaurant."

"No, Ryan, I'm sorry. I..."

"No, Hannah, it was my fault. I don't know why I stormed off like that. I think maybe I'm overtired or something. I'm not usually that hypersensitive."

"Ryan, I never should've said that. You may be an asshole, but you're obviously not as low as that scumbag that tried to drug Carrie."

Ryan, frustrated at her for calling him an asshole, decided that was enough from her for one night. He said, "Well, on that note, I'll leave you alone. Goodnight."

He walked down the stairs and out the front door. "I'll always be an asshole in her mind," he thought. "No matter how hard I try to show I'm trying to change."

Hannah watched him leave again and was upset with herself when she realized she called him an asshole. "Damn it, I can't even apologize without hurting his feelings. What is wrong with me?" She thought.

**********

Sunday morning Hannah got a call that she didn't expect but should've.

"Good Morning, Miss Stevens. I'm Stan Corsi. I'm the Broker/Owner of the office that listed your condo. Ryan called and asked me to take over for him, because of a disagreement you had over a personal matter."

"Really, it wasn't bad enough to get you involved."

"Well, we want to make sure your real estate needs are taken care of and Ryan felt that you'd be happier if I took over. I'll honor your agreement with him and make sure that you receive the best service for your needs."

"Mr. Corsi, that isn't necessary. I'll talk to Ryan and straighten it out. He's really been amazing as my Realtor and I don't want anyone else."

"Okay. I'll let you try to work it out, but if you can't, just let me know and I'll take care of you."

"Okay, thanks."

She hung up and called Ryan. She got his voicemail and decided to drive to his office to see if he was working.

*********

She saw his Mustang in the parking lot and parked next to it. She walked up to reception and asked for him.

Ryan had already told the girl at the desk to tell anyone that asked for him, that he was out on a showing.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. Ryan is out showing a home this morning. He may be back this afternoon though. Can I leave a message for him?"

"No. I know he's here. I saw his car. I'm not leaving until he speaks with me. I'm a client for Christ's sake. I demand to speak to him."

The receptionist sighed and not wanting to upset a customer, called Ryan's desk.

"Ryan," she looked at Hannah and Hannah said, "Hannah Stevens."

"Miss Hannah Stevens is here to see you."

Ryan said, "Tell her that I'm with a client."

"Ryan, she refuses to leave until you speak with her."

Hannah nodded.

"I'll be right there, Amy," he said and hung up.

"One moment, Ma'am."

"Thank you."

A moment later Ryan walked passed Hannah toward the exit and said without looking at her, "Follow me."

Hannah turned and followed him out. She saw that he was walking through the parking lot towards a coffee shop.

He walked up to the counter, ordered two large black coffees, and handed one to Hannah. Leading her to a seat in the corner, he pointed at the mixing bar and the cream and sugar.

Ryan sat and waited for Hannah to add her Splenda and then speak her mind.

"Ryan, I put my foot in my mouth again last night and I'm sorry. You've been nothing short of perfect with me since I hired you and deserve to get credit for that. Hell, you even saved my sister from god knows what. Forgive my comments, please."

She waited for him to respond but he just looked at her and waited for her to continue.

"Look, what you did to Carolyn was unforgivable. We found out later about you screwing our friends, Ashley and Charlene. You flirted with several of us others, including me. You were a shit to her and she didn't deserve it. She loved you."

"I know," he said weakly. "That was who I was then and up until recently. I was a shitty person. I know it and I'm sorry for it. I just didn't want to hear it fromyou."

"Ryan, please sell my condo for me and find me a new house. I appreciate you for painting, I appreciate you for thinking you were doing the right by having your boss take over my listing, but I don't appreciate you thinking that we can't work together."

"Alright. I'll still help you." He touched her hand and looked into her eyes. "I really am sorry. I'll talk with you soon."

He stood up and left. She watched him cross the parking lot, get in his car and drive away.

"I wonder what he meant by not wanting to hear it from me?" She thought.

She picked up her cell phone and called her sister.

"Hey, Carrie. I think we worked out."

"Good. Whatever he did to you is in the past, maybe you should let it go. It's obviously causing you some issues."

"I know. I'll try. At least I was able to get past it enough to let him sell my condo. You never know."

*********

Three months went by and it was closing day for Hannah's condo. Ryan got her five grand more than her asking price. He also helped her find the perfect townhouse for her in a good neighborhood near her office.

Over the time they worked together, they spoke a couple of times a week when they needed to talk about the houses, but weren't becoming friends. They were cordial and Hannah lightened up considerably, but Ryan was only professional. He put his desire for her on the back burner.

Hannah and Ryan's circle of friends crossed paths in the bar and club scene in their area. Ryan tried to avoid her circle because of their hatred of him over his treatment of Carolyn.

He didn't speak with Hannah other than a pleasant hello when they saw each other when out. She did notice that he hadn't been talking to girls or leaving with a pick up as he used to do. She was definitely looking out for it.

She casually asked around about him, talking to waitresses and bartenders as well as some others about noticing whether or not he had changed.

One of the waitresses at the bar he plays darts at, said that she couldn't believe he was the same person over the last 6 months or longer.

She made a mental note of that because that would go back before she hired him and he told her he had been working on changing his ways. She was glad for the confirmation of his story.

*******

He didn't have to go to the closing on Hannah's condo, but he felt it was an extra level of service he gave his clients and he wanted to make sure everything went smoothly for her.

As he was driving there, his personal cell rang.

"Hi Ryan, it's Carolyn."

He almost dropped the phone in shock. He put it on hands-free and spoke, "Uh, hi Carolyn. How are you."

"I'm fine. I'm great actually."

"I'm really glad to hear that. I was glad to hear you got married and had the kids you wanted."

"Yeah? Thanks. Look, I'm calling to tell you that I forgave you a long time ago. I know we didn't talk after my meltdown on you, but I guess it worked out for me pretty well. I really did forgive you. I fell into a one-way love and built a fantasy around it. I guess that's not really your fault."

"I did care for you, Carolyn. I just wasn't ready to be what you needed back then. I'm sorry I treated you so disrespectfully. I wanted to tell you that back then, but your Dad told me to stay away from you."

"I know. Listen, I'm also calling to tell you that Hannah likes you."

"What?"

"She does and she's afraid to show you that because you've put up a wall between you two."

"Well, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot."

"Do yourself a favor, Ryan. If you like her, and she thinks you do, ask her out. If you've changed as much as I've heard you have, she'd be a great girl for you."

"Wow, you've given me something to think about. She was pretty rough on me. I'm not sure I believe she would be interested in me."

"I've had many talks with her about you. Heck, I'd even go so far as to say she's pretty hung up on you."

"I had no idea."

"Yep. I have to go. Just think about it. She doesn't know that I called you and she'd be pissed, so keep it between us, okay?"

"Okay. Take care, Carolyn, and thank you for everything."

"You too, and if this goes like I think it will, I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon."

He ended the call in a state of shock. He couldn't believe that Carolyn was actually encouraging him to ask Hannah out. He was even more shocked that she wasn't angry with him anymore.

"I better check and see if hell froze over." He thought.

He thought back over their interactions and couldn't see any interest from her. No flirting at all and he had plenty of experience with women flirting with him.

Carolyn calling him was a total shock. He never thought that she would not only forgive him, but would end up telling her to date her friend. That, he just couldn't comprehend. He debated in his mind about it being some sort of set up or trap, but didn't see a benefit for Carolyn in doing that after so many years had passed since they even spoke.

He decided to give it a shot. He was definitely attracted to her and figured that now that their business was almost over, he really had nothing to lose.

********

Ryan opened the door to the title company and saw Hannah waiting. She saw him and his panty-melting smile and took him in. "Shit, I should've dressed up for this," she thought. She was wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt.

He was wearing a black sport coat, with a classic white dress shirt and no tie. His tan slacks were crisply pressed and his brogues were polished perfectly. As he came nearer, she smelled his Armani cologne and she deeply inhaled as he greeted her with a warm hug.

"That's new," she thought. "He's never greeted me with a hug before."

"Hi, Hannah. Have you been waiting long?"

She came out of her reverie and said, "No, just got here." That was a lie. She got there 30 minutes earlier, to ensure as much time with him as she could get.

He had grown on her over the months. He was a perfect gentleman, as gorgeous as he ever was, and he seemed to do little things to make sure everything went extra smoothly for her.

She had spoken many times with Carolyn about him. She didn't want to date him if Carolyn would have an issue with it; and she definitely wanted him.

"Good," he said. "Do you remember the closing when you bought your condo?"

She nodded.

"The sale closing is first and will be different. There's much less to sign. Your lawyer will walk you through the disclosures and the transfer deed, you'll sign and you're done. Everything is all set on the buyer's end, but they will sign later tonight. Once that's done, they will cut your check for you, wire the money to your mortgage company to pay it off and you're done."

"Sounds easy."

"It is. Your purchase closing tomorrow is the long one. The mortgage disclosure package keeps getting larger and larger. Make sure that you bring the check for your down payment."

"Okay," she said distracted by his cologne. She hoped he didn't notice her taking deep breaths.

********

After the closing, Ryan asked, "Would you like to grab some lunch?"

"I'd like that."

"Good, let's go to Uncle Julio's. I love their salsa."

"Me too." That was her favorite restaurant. She wondered if he knew that.

"Great, see you soon."

On the way to the restaurant, she thought about how excited she was to be going out with him. Three months earlier, she wouldn't have thought it was possible. She wanted him and was going to gently push him towards expanding their relationship to be more than professional. She didn't want to push too hard, she didn't want to blow it.

She was worried that she had blown any chance of taking it to the next level, with her comments that she made the night she found out that he was the one that saved her sister.

**********

As they ate, she said, "So, I guess after I close tomorrow, I'm out of your hair."

He looked up at her and took a sip of his tea. "I guess so."

She frowned and took a bite of her chicken taco.

"You don't have to be though."

Her eyes snapped up as he continued, "I was thinking that maybe you might like to go out to dinner with me."

She smiled and said, "Dinner? Like a celebration for the two closings?"

"Please be a date. Please be a date," she thought over and over.

"No, like a boy likes a girl and takes her on a date."

"Yes!" She thought and then said, "You want to take me out after the way I treated you?"

"Oh, I think we're past all of that, don't you?"

"I hope so," she said, meaning it desperately.

"So, is that a yes then."

"Yes, I'd love to have dinner with you."

"Good, does Friday work for you?"

"Yes, perfect."

He smiled at her and she cautioned herself to still be wary and watch for signs of old Ryan.

*********

Ryan picked her up and took her to Baccus Nibbles, a largely underrated gem with a great wine list. They got patio seating and enjoyed the warm early fall air.

He ordered a bottle of Beringer Private Reserve and as they drank he asked, "So how come no one's snatched you up? You're stunning, have a good job, and your personality is sparkling. If you had a filter on your mouth, you'd be the perfect woman."